


Constellation Centaurus

by hyucksicles



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (kind of), Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Blood, Blood and Injury, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Outer Space, Possible Character Death, Science Fiction, Space Flight, Space Pirate Captain Ten, Space Pirates, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyucksicles/pseuds/hyucksicles
Summary: But there’s one thing that stuck with him about the humans on Earth. They wished on the stars, found the brightest one in the sky and pleaded with it for their heart’s true desires.And so, Ten does just that, he picks out the star that’s clearest to him, shining brightly in the corner of his window, and wishes.
Relationships: Mark Lee/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21
Collections: Challenge #4 — Awaken The World





	Constellation Centaurus

**Author's Note:**

> hello dear reader, 
> 
> i sincerely hope you enjoy reading about my favourite space bois ten and mark, because i sure had a lot of fun writing them. ❤❤
> 
> also, huge thank you to the mods for running this fest smoothly as always ^__^

YEAR 3024

"By all the galaxies, Mark, what the hell were you thinking?" 

Ten's grip around the youngers waist tightens as they stumble through the pristenly white hallways of their ship. He coughs and splatters of red land on the floor, raising the levels of Ten's panic, the alarms currently bellowing around him not helping.

CLOAKING MECHANISM NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. OUTSIDE FORCE FIELD CURRENTLY SUSTAINING DAMAGE. 

"Xiaojun, get us the hell out of here!" 

"Yes, captain." Xiaojun, third in the chain of command after Mark and himself, sets off towards the cockpit as Ten is left to half-carry Mark into the Medbay. He sets the younger down, wincing at the way he writhes in pain His own hands are coated in the other man's blood, moving quickly as he readies all the machines, leaving crimson fingerprints in his wake. 

The walls around them shake and the floor shifts underneath Ten's feet as he moves around, Xiaojun going full throttle in order to escape their current solar system. Still, Ten is used to all the chaos. Pushing up Mark's shirt to reveal his lower abdomen, Ten lines up the head of the machine with the gaping wound there and watches as it whirrs into action, the small laser rays starting to rebuild the layers of skin. 

Mark grunts, grinding his teeth together hard as he tries to bite down his screams. Ten's hand immediately entangles in the younger's dark locks, lips pressing kisses against his forehead and mumbling soft words into his skin, heart hammering inside his ribcage. 

It takes a full ten minutes for the machine to finish what is, well, essentially a minor surgery. Ten knows this because he counted the seconds, each agonizingly slow one. The good thing is the ship has moved into smoother sailing, and any and all forms of alarms have stopped blaring, allowing his pounding headache to recede. 

His shoulders sag in relief as he lets out a sigh, turning off the machine and returning it to its resting position, hearing a cough from behind as he does so. Ten’s head snaps toward the sound, and his eyes land on the small smirk that plays on Mark’s lips, still tinted red from all the blood. 

“You know I hate you, don’t you?” It’s meant to sound more stern, but Ten’s heart still feels weak and the waves of exhaustion wash over him now that the adrenaline has begun to fade, so it comes out mingled with a heavy breath. 

Mark chuckles, followed by a wince as his nose scrunches up. “Don’t think you would’ve saved my life if that were true.” 

“Yeah, well, don’t make me save your life again, okay?” Ten moves over to the sink as he speaks, scrubbing away at the red that paints his skin. He wets a cloth after he’s done, using it to gently clean up the area around Mark’s new scar. “It’s very stressful,” he whispers, watching as the blood stains the piece of fabric.

“Ten…” 

A warm hand presses against his cheek and Ten closes his eyes, leaning into the sensation. He breathes in deeply, feeling Mark’s thumb gently brush over his skin the way he always does, and finally the rhythm of his heart falls back into place. Mark repeats his name and Ten blinks his eyes open, immediately being pulled into the abyss of Mark’s wide-blown pupils. 

“I love you.” 

The older leans up to press their foreheads together, breathing in the scent he's become so familiar to, even if it's nearly hidden under the metallic tang that hangs in the air. His lips find their way to the corner of Mark's mouth and he lays a chaste kiss there before speaking against the plush flesh. 

"I love you, too." 

Ten feels Mark's teeth as he breaks out into a smile, right before the younger tilts his head and brings their lips together for a true kiss, one that burns their skin and leaves soft red surfaces tingling with the taste of passion, like two stars that collide and leave a trail of brilliantly coloured dust in their wake. 

Because as crazy as it may sound sometimes, even to Ten himself, when he kisses Mark, that is when he feels closest to the essence of the universe, like he's finally discovered the secret buried within the countless constellations, even if he can't quite put it into words. 

It's a strange feeling, one that he didn't think himself capable of years ago, and at times, incredibly overwhelming. Ten sometimes allows himself to doubt if Mark feels the same, but when he pulls away and sees himself reflected in those dark bronze-coloured eyes, being gazed at with the same wonder as when Mark looks out at the cosmos, that same doubt is easily washed away. 

YEAR 3020

His rapid footsteps echo through the halls as Ten runs as fast as he can, nearly slipping every time he turns a corner. The USB drive sits safely in the inner pocket of his jacket. He tries to talk with his crew through the communicator but all he gets is static, so either they’re out of range or the thing’s busted, or it’s something worse entirely, but Ten doesn’t want to dwell on that.  
Scanning his surroundings as best he can, Ten continues to race down the winding corridors. He knows that by this point multiple officers will be chasing after him, can hear the announcements that ring throughout the space station, warning of the intruder. 

It's when Ten takes the next left that he comes to a screeching halt. A dead end. Silently cursing out whatever God decided to send a streak of bad luck his way, he's about to turn when the sound of heavy boots hitting the floor stops him in his tracks. 

"Stop right there." 

Fuck. 

"Turn around, slowly, with your hands on your head." 

Ten does as he's told, lifting his arms up as he takes small steps in order to turn his body. His eyes land on the young man that stands only a few metres away. He's young, younger than Ten, and by the looks of it not yet a decorated officer. Actually he looks to be barely out of his days as a cadet. 

Still, the look on his face is determined, sharp angles of his jaw squared and strong eyebrows drawn together on his face. His stance is confident, not a single quiver in the hand that holds the gun steady, aimed toward the center of Ten's forehead. The few stray black strands that hang above his eyes and the way his chest rises and falls with each breath are the only telling signs that he must have been running for quite some time. 

He's handsome in a way that few people are, and Ten must admit that having a gun aimed at him by this man would be attractive under different circumstances. The thought draws a smirk to his face, and he watches as the other eyes him in confusion. 

"Listen", Ten starts then, "Before you shoot me, wouldn't you like to know what it is that I stole?" 

The officer blinks, but otherwise stays unmoving. "I don't need to know what it is." 

Ten smiles at the low rumble of the man's voice. "You can lie to me all you want, but your eyes are telling. You're curious." He narrows his eyes at the younger, steadily beginning to lower his arms and, upon seeing no reaction, lets them fall completely. "It seems to me that you've seen things you can't quite explain, officer Lee," Ten reads the name that's proudly branded onto the man's uniform, taking a step forward. "Maybe snippets of conversations that seem suspicious, people covering their screens, closing doors in your face, telling you to stop asking questions."

One foot after the other, Ten keeps advancing as he speaks. The younger man makes no attempt to move. He keeps his gun level with Ten's face, but realisation swims in the depths of his chocolate brown eyes that never leave his own.

"I can show you the truth about this place," Ten says, just as the cold tip of the gun touches his forehead. Even though most of him is sure the officer won't fire at this point, his next exhale is shaky. He licks at his lips. "If you come with me." 

There's a flicker of shock that flashes in the youngers eyes, and even Ten is somewhat taken aback by his own statement, is sure that his crew will eat him alive for this, but there's something about the man. He seems lost somehow, trapped in a world he believes he can't escape. Ten wants to show him that he can. 

The gun is pressed harsher against his temple then and Ten closes his eyes, heart stuttering as images of his past fly through his mind. But in the next second, the pressure vanishes altogether, and Ten opens his eyes to find that same gun being holstered. His eyes shoot up to the other mans face, seeing a new kind of determination settle there. 

"This way."

YEAR 3011

It's late. Way past Ten's bedtime.

And Ten knows that his mother would scold him if she knew he were still awake, but, how can he sleep when the night outside is so bright? Can he really be blamed, if the many stars and swirls of purple and blue dust that decorate the sky are so captivating, keeping him glued to the glass of his bedroom's lone window?

His only company are the many stuffed animals that sit on his bed, the wonders of the night sky reflected in their beady black eyes. Ten grabs the one nearest to him, a cat plushie, it’s lavender color faded over the years, it was a gift from his dad who’d brought it back from Earth.

He presses the tattered thing against his chest, squeezing it as he looks out at the cosmos. Ten has read many books about Earth, about all different kinds of planets, of their culture, religion, their beliefs and traditions. But there’s one thing that stuck with him about the humans on Earth. They wished on the stars, found the brightest one in the sky and pleaded with it for their heart’s true desires.

And so, Ten does just that, he picks out the star that’s clearest to him, shining brightly in the corner of his window, and wishes.

He wishes for the chance to venture out into the unknown, for the chance to fly amongst the many comets, to walk along the milky ways, to be able to reach out and touch the clouds of stardust. The chance to see all the planets his own galaxy and others have to offer, to bask in their beauty, behold their treasures, learn their languages and culture, be able to hear their songs and listen to their stories, to the myths they pass down generations.

But most of all, Ten wishes not to be alone when he does so, he wishes for a soul to be tethered to, one who understands him better than even he himself does, to share his wants and desires to explore, who holds the cosmos in the same high esteem and dreams of crossing the skies to a different reality altogether.

He thanks the star when he's done, hoping, believing with all his might that it can hear his thoughts all the way up above and that someday, no matter how far away in the future, his wishes will come to fruition.

Finally, Ten lifts the warm covers of his bed and slips underneath them, soft lavender-coloured cat still nestled safely against his heart. He reaches out to tap against the glowing globe that hovers beside his bed and watches as the soft golden hue in his bedroom turns to silver.

Pulling the sheets up to his nose, Ten lets his eyes drift towards the star one last time, and closes them.

YEAR 3026

Ten giggles against Marks lips, warm puffs of breath mingling between them as Mark chases after another kiss. He tastes of the nectar they'd both drank, a drink that is native to the planet they're currently on, of which Ten can only barely recall the name, his body weightless and his head foggy. Their ship is stationed somewhere nearby, and Ten can hear the shouts of his crewmates of his crewmates above the lively music on a lower platform. 

His sole focus however is on the man in front of him, both of them closed off in their own bubble, lost in eachother. Firm hands find their way to either side of his jaw, a delicious pressure against his throat as Mark dives in for another kiss. No matter how many times they do this, Ten will never get tired of the way their kisses burn, fire raging between their lips, in the way their tongues swipe out, searing to the touch.

They pull apart only as they run out of breath, panting, and Ten lets his eyes flutter open, vision blurry, feeling the strength slip from his body. Mark is there to catch his weight, pulling the older fully onto his lap and threading his ring-clad fingers through his hair as he does so. Ten melts into the touch, crawling into the familiar space of Mark's arms. He can feel Mark's heartbeat thundering against his ear as his eyes wander upwards to Mark's face. 

His skin is bathed in the hazy orange gleam of the bar, black curls falling across his forehead and framing his face, much longer than it had once been. Back home, people would always tell him that humans were nothing special, that their features paled in comparison to other races.

And while yes, Mark's eyes don't glow like Ten's own, shifting from a magnificent sapphire to a rich lilac with the waning moons of his home planet, and the freckles dotted under his eyes are a dull brown and not a shining silver, and his hands aren't painted in the colours of the nebulas, to Ten, he's still the most ethereal being he's ever encountered. 

Smiling, Ten leans up to tell Mark as such, and watches with affection how his cheeks tint the most beautiful shade of pink. 

YEAR 3027

The silence that echoes through the ship is deafening. 

It’s been like this for weeks, devoid of the familiar sounds of voices and the low whirring of machinery. Ten pulls the blanket closer against his frame, his tired eyes wandering the swirls of blue that dance across the vast darkness on the other side of the glass. Every day gets colder than the last, frost slowly taking over the hull of the ship and starting to seep through its protective layers, no longer heated by the engines that have long since given up all hope, damaged beyond repair. 

The starstorm had been the worst Ten had ever seen, so violent and so sudden, asteroids raining down on them out of seemingly nowhere, just to vanish without a trace soon after. But not before dragging them into the deep, leaving them stranded.

The boomerang nebula, in constellation Centaurus, the coldest place in the universe. 

Ten barely feels the weight on his shoulders, turning his head to the side to see Mark lay another blanket there before slowly sinking down next to him. The older immediately pulls him close, suppressing a shudder. Mark’s skin is icy to the touch. He can feel how his frame shakes as his grip around Ten’s waist tightens, willing away the tears that form in his eyes, knowing that the human is much more vulnerable to the increasingly falling temperatures. 

At this point, Ten knows there’s no way they can make it out, with all forms of communication dead and their supplies dwindling by the day, shipwrecked in a place that nobody dares venture to, he has given up hope. Bringing their bodies as close together as he possibly can, Ten holds Mark in his arms, and looks out at the stars, at the clouds of dust and the streaks of light, at the tragically beautiful sight before him, and closes his eyes. 

At least he’s not alone.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos/comments are always very appreciated <3
> 
> ⇨ find me on [twitter](https://https://twitter.com/hyucksicles)🐦
> 
> ⇨ my [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/hyucksicles)🐈


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